Brandon Nimmo has been on a absolute tear since returning from a brief major league stint. He has produced four multi-hit games since his return on 7/18 and is batting .419 in his last ten AAA games. The 51s had nine hits and scored four runs (including Nimmo HR) off Shelby Miller in his second start for Reno.

The Akeel Morris trade has given Roseboom an opportunity to close out games and he certainly has made the most of it. B-Mets pitching held MLB top prospect Yoan Moncada to a 0 for 5 night with five strikeouts.

The Fireflies bats came alive in this one, slugging three home runs but it was not enough as the pitching staff had a horrible performance blowing a 7-4 lead in the 8th and then giving up the game winning run in the bottom of the 9th after tying it up 11-11.

Szapucki was making his first Brooklyn start and had another stellar performance. This guy is missing a lot of bats, striking out 55 batters in 34.1 innings.

For the rest of the recap head over to MetsMinors.net.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2016/07/mets-minors-recap-nimmo-homers-szapucki-continues-to-dominate.html/feed/0Reality Check: Mets Offseason Is Essentially Overhttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2014/12/reality-check-mets-offseason-is-essentially-over.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2014/12/reality-check-mets-offseason-is-essentially-over.html/#commentsFri, 19 Dec 2014 14:00:49 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=172036[...]]]>The more I think about it, the more I believe there won’t be any further significant additions coming this offseason. I base this on the current lay of the land and some things that have recently come to my attention. Let’s review where we are:

Trading A Starting Pitcher

While it remains likely that Alderson will deal Dillon Gee at some point, more and more it’s beginning to feel that this will drag on for a few more weeks.

“Between the Winter Meetings and the holidays, not a lot happens,” said Alderson on Tuesday. “I’d say activity will pick up significantly in January. We’ve had some conversations, but not many since the Winter Meetings.”

Additionally, none of the offers including one from Minnesota and another from Colorado have impressed the Mets.

It’s beginning to look like a super-solid B prospect might be a best case scenario for Gee. That and the salary relief that will bring payroll close to $90 million.

One thing now seems abundantly clear, Gee isn’t bringing back any significant major leaguer – and you know what? I don’t think they’re too bothered by that because major leaguers cost more money.

Second Lefty Reliever

On Tuesday, Alderson also said that picking up Scott Rice and Sean Gilmartin meant that no lefty reliever would be signed to a major league deal.

“I’d rather see the competition for that second lefty spot between what we have now, and if it doesn’t work out, we’ll go with six righties in the ‘pen.”

Maybe they bring in one more LHP on a minor league deal just to make the competition more interesting, but don’t count on it.

The Mets pursued and talked to a half dozen of the best available free agent left-handers and never got past the “Hi, this is Sandy Alderson” stage.

Initially categorized as one of his top offseason goals in October, in the end they roll the dice on a minor league deal and Rule 5 selection. It’s another glaring example that they are still being held back by money.

Right-handed Bench Bat

John Mayberry Jr. is the righty bat they were looking for and his addition pretty much completes the bench for the Mets.

The Mets didn’t want to bring back Eric Young Jr. for $1.8 million, so they swap some speed for power and save almost half a million dollars in the process. Always something at the forefront of any decisions.

Between Mayberry and Michael Cuddyer the Mets hope to improve on the worst OPS in the majors vs LHP in 2014. I’m certain they made some big strides with these two in that area.

What About Shortstop?

Everything continues to point to Wilmer Flores as the Opening Day shortstop, which was my predicted outcome all along. Forget free agency, this team is still shackled by financial constraints. They’re interested in everybody, and yet sign nobody.

They don’t have the dollars to pursue any significant upgrades, and they are so fearful of trading young pitching to get something done. Mostly because they can’t afford to trade the wrong pitcher and then have it blow up in their faces.

Just as we saw with lefty relievers, the Mets were initially interest in many of the top available shortstops in free agency and trade. One by one they investigated and kicked the tires as the market was shrinking by 2-3 shortstops a week.

Now they’re down to the bottom of the barrel hoping they can snare 2014 bust Stephen Drew on some deeply discounted one-year deal that had his agent Scott Boras mocking them two weeks ago.

In my heart of hearts, I believe the Mets’ offseason is essentially over. Nobody wanted to be more wrong than me when I said, “Enjoy this Michael Cuddyer signing, he may just be the extent of the entire Mets offseason.”

Essentially they took the Chris Young money and used it to get Cuddyer. It’s hard to do anything with a bottom ten payroll and two thirds of it invested in four players.

I don’t often agree with anything Terry Collins says. But when he said the biggest bat the Mets get in 2015 is a hopefully healthy David Wright, he wasn’t kidding. Our two biggest additions next season are Wright and Harvey.

Anyway, that’s the way I see things right now. That’s not to say we can’t win 85 games and get into the postseason with a little luck. I was there in 1969 and 1973 so I know anything is possible. That’s what makes baseball such a great game.

I guess what I’m really saying is that if we had better owners – our offseason wouldn’t have ended two weeks before the Winter Meetings. If we had better owners – the front office would have the additional financial flexibility to do the things they really want to do. We’re still walking on eggshells.

I’m sitting here smiling at 12:40 in the morning, knowing I have to get up early for today’s radio show. Yes, a little part of the smile is for Zack Wheeler and his brilliant three-hit complete game shutout, the first in his career. But, the biggest part of my smile points towards Las Vegas where Darin Gorski turned in his second quality start in a row, allowing five hits and only one run while striking out 11 in 6.1 innings of work.

I like Darin Gorski. For parts of three seasons I’ve watched him work in Binghamton, always impressed by his work ethic, his bulldog determination, yet calm poise he brings to the mound. Several times I’ve written posts expressing my hopes Gorski would get a call to Triple-A and believing the kid had more than earned a shot at a higher level.

With the lack of left-handed starting pitching in the Met organization, I’m hoping Darin Gorski continues to shine. Thursday night’s performance lowers Gorski’s ERA a whisker below 4.00 in over 24 innings in Vegas. That’s a great start when you consider some of the other earned run averages of the 51’s starters; Logan Verrett’s 4.59, Noah Syndergaard’s 4.78, and even Rafael Montero’s 3.75.

Because Gorski doesn’t throw a power heater, I often think he gets overlooked. Instead, based on his body of work, Darin Gorski deserves a second look. Gorski’s the kind of a kid who grows on you. Darin may not blow you away the first time you see him pitch, but the more you get a chance to watch his approach on the mound, the more you come away impressed with his pitching instincts.

Part of my Las Vegas smile has to do with Travis d’Arnaud’s numbers on Thursday. The 51’s catcher had three more hits, all of the extra base variety, two doubles and a home run. Travis is 3-for-5 raising his batting average to .432. D’Arnaud his hit six doubles and six home runs during his short stint in Vegas with an incredible 15 RBI’s.

I don’t care how light the air is or how friendly the hitting conditions are in Vegas. To hit like d’Arnaud is hitting you have to be squaring up on the ball. If you square up on the ball consistently good things happen. I read somewhere the folks in Vegas have simply been trying to clear d’Arnaud’s head from over thinking, while helping him find an approach based on a simple principle – hit the ball up the middle. Good things happen when you hit the ball up the middle. Go, Travis!

Bobby Parnell, who is recovering from surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck, has regained all the weight he lost and is feeling great after he was in New York for a routine checkup late last month.

While talking to some of us at Citi Field during the Mets Holiday Party, Sandy Alderson said that Parnell would be ready for Spring Training and that he doesn’t anticipate any problems.

All in all, some great news for the Mets as it puts less of a demand on pursuing a late inning reliever in what is an over-priced free agent market.

That should preserve some money for other pressing needs, but more importantly the Mets won’t have to scramble to find a temporary closer or rush a younger pitcher into a role he may not be ready for.

The 2014 bullpen is starting to take shape and unlike past offseasons where Sandy Alderson felt the need to do a full revamping, this current group seems to be full of potential. I like what I see.

Here are my pre-season thoughts on the Mets bullpen…

Bobby Parnell, RHP – The hard-throwing righty seized the closer’s role after Frank Francisco couldn’t start the 2013 season. Parnell had a fine campaign before his injury, posting a 2.16 ERA and 1.00 WHIP while notching 22 saves for the Mets in 49 appearances. The good news is that he’ll be ready for spring training and we look for him to have a big year and his first 30 save season.

Vic Black, RHP – The 25-year old righthander fared very well in his short stint with the Mets last season. Black posted a 3.46 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP while going 3-0 and earning his first career save in just 13 appearances. The Mets are very high on Black and he’ll be the primary setup man for Parnell in 2014, with even a few save opportunities thrown in for good measure. He’s gonna be a good one.

Scott Rice, LHP – After spending his first 14 pro seasons in the minors, Rice made his MLB debut in 2013 and was nothing short of spectacular holding lefthanded hitters to a .174 batting average and a .468 OPS. Rice was on pace to shatter the Mets record for appearances before undergoing season-ending surgery for a sports hernia. The 31-year old made 73 appearances for the Mets and tossed 51.0 innings. An amazing 60.3% of the pitches hit against him were grounders. You can bet he’ll be back and hopefully he won’t be abused by Collins the second time around.

Carlos Torres, RHP – Nobody even expected Torres to make the team and yet he became one of the more indispensable role players on the team, whether he was making a spot start, pitching 2-3 innings of relief, or coming in to get a big out. He finished the season with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP and his spot in the bullpen as the Mets’ swingman is all but guaranteed.

Gonzalez Germen, RHP – He made his major league debut at age 25 last season and delivered a very uneven performance. At times he shined on the mound and looked dominating, and at other times he left too many fat pitches over the plate. In 29 appearances he posted a 3.93 ERA with a 1.39 WHIP, with a 8.7 K/9 and a 4.2 BB/9. He showed enough promise to make him a lock for the bullpen, but clearly he’ll have to show marked improvement if he wants to keep his spot with other young arms knocking at the door.

Josh Edgin, LHP – After a brutal start to his 2013 season, which included a demotion to Double-A Binghamton in April, Edgin came roaring back his second time around and displayed the stuff and the swagger we saw from him in his rookie season. He posted a 0.93 ERA over his final 23 appearances before suffering a broken rib to end his season. He finished the season with a respectable 3.77 ERA in 34 appearances. He’s a lefty who throws mid-nineties and should be back.

Jeurys Familia, RHP – The one time top prospect for the Mets had his season washed out due to surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. He’s still young and has loads of potential, but it’s time for him to start strutting his stuff. He made the club out of spring training last year, but unless he dazzles in camp that may not be the case this season.

Long Shots – The Mets have a nice little arsenal of young pitchers on the rise who could debut at some point this season and maybe even make the team out of Spring Training. My favorites to make the team are 25-year old righthander Jeff Walters who posted a 2.09 ERA and led the Eastern League with 38 saves, and Jacob deGrom, also a righthander, who could transition from starter to reliever in 2014. On the bubble are Cory Mazzoni, Darin Gorski and Jack Leathersich, but not until they earn their stripes in Las Vegas.

Outlook – I consider the Mets’ bullpen to be one of their greatest strengths in 2014 and certainly one of the best pens we’ve seen since the 2006 season. We have some solid young arms that all seem to be suited for the various roles that comprise a major league bullpen. Parnell is a solid closer who can be counted on, Black looks like he’ll be a dominant setup guy, Rice is the best LOOGY in the NL East, Torres was also among the best swing men in the league. Edgin and Germen lengthen the pen and we’ll see how the final one or two spots shake out in Spring Training. All in all, this should be a bullpen we can all be proud of. LGM

Great pitching was the lifeline of the Binghamton Mets record setting baseball season this summer. Wherever you looked; the starting rotation, long relief or closing, the B-Met pitching excelled. There were multiple B-Mets who could be considered the 2013 Most Valuable Pitcher. I’ve boiled that choice down to four promising right-handed arms, Rafael Montero, Logan Verrett, Noah Syndergaard and Jeff Walters, and one lefty, Darin Gorski.

Rafael Montero was brilliant throughout his brief stay in the Binghamton rotation during the early weeks of the season. Montero started 11 games as a B-Met — good for 66.2 innings on the hill. The early season pitching ace went 7-3 with a sparkling 2.43 ERA, striking our 72 batters and walking only 10. That helped Montero to an outrageous WHIP of just 0.92. Montero’s impact on the B-Mets was profound. His business like work on the mound seemed to set a tone in the early season that the 2013 B-Met season was about competitive excellence. Montero’s lead was a great model to follow.

Darin Gorski had a similar impact on the B-Mets, but during the closing portion of the season. Gorski returned from an early season injury in Triple-A Las Vegas and was assigned to Binghamton. Without much hype, Gorski was arguably the most effective B-Met pitcher down the homestretch. The tall lefthander started 13 games for Binghamton winning 6 and losing only one with the best ERA among starters, a sterling 1.83. Over 78.2 innings, Gorski allowed only 46 hits, striking out 67 and walking only 22. That was good for an eye-popping 0.86 WHIP, the best on the B-Met team other than Perpetual Pedro Feliciano.

Logan Verrett was the workhorse of the B-Met starting rotation, someone who took the ball every six days working 146 innings on the hill. Verrett’s 12-6 record tied him at the top of the Eastern League leader board in wins. Verrett’s blazing start was a key factor in the B-Mets early emergence as the premiere EL team during the regular season. The righthanded ace has pinpoint control striking out 132 batters and walking only 31. Keeping the ball in the park was an issue as Verrett allowed 21 HR’s. He had a 4.25 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP.

The arrival of Noah Syndergaard in Binghamton during the later part of the season had the city buzzing. The highly regarded Met prospect lived up to all the billing during his 11 starts. Syndergaard went 6-1 for the B-Mets throwing 54 innings, striking out 69 and walking only 12. A fastball that regularly reached mid and upper 90’s and held that speed throughout an outing tabs Syndergaard as one of the promising future Met power arms. Syndergaard finished with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.

Arguably one of the biggest success factors of the 2013 Binghamton Mets was the performance of the bullpen, and Pedro Lopez had multiple left-handed and right-handed options in the pen. This season’s Most Valuable B-Met Pitcher comes from that relief corps, Jeff Walters, the record setting Binghamton closer.

With a bulldog mentality on the mound, Walters was a lights out ninth inning option for Lopez earning 38 saves, the highest single season and career total in Binghamton Met history and the second highest save total in the history of the Eastern League.

Walters pitched 56 innings of pressure packed relief allowing only 46 hits, striking out 60 and walking just 16. That gave the B-Met closer a 1.11 WHIP to complement his 2.09 ERA. Walters fired a fastball that consistently reached 95-96 mph and used a compliment of off-speed pitches.

Walters’ value on the 2013 B-Mets was about more than statistics, however. In Walters, Binghamton had that cocky, confident, care-free, end of the game option, a guy who relished having the ball in tight situations and exuded an attitude that had a residual effect on his teammates. It was those personal traits along with a toolkit filled with pitching choices that make Jeff Walters the Binghamton Mets Most Valuable Pitcher of 2013.

I see Trumbo as an Ike Davis with more consistent power, but a worse glove. I couldn’t imagine giving up a Jon Niese for someone like that… Especially when you consider that he’ll likely take a big hit hit offensively by playing half of his games at Citi Field.

What a disaster that could end up being…

No thanks…

Original Post

As the realization slowly sinks in that Shin-Soo Choo and Jacoby Ellsbury will be too costly for the still downtrodden Mets, the talk inevitably shifts to trading for a legit outfielder instead.

Of course trading for any player who can provide the type of offense the Mets are looking for means that what you don’t shell out in tens of millions, you’ll end up paying for with elite prospects.

Baseball is a give and take business and quality begets quality. There’s no team out there looking to take broken down parts like Ike Davis and Jordany Valdespin off of our hands in return for a big cog. Ain’t happening… The real world does not operate as it does during sportstalk call-in segments.

MLBTR said the Halos fielded calls from the Mariners, Pirates, and Royals in July and the Marlins showed interest in Trumbo last December. If he is available, and most baseball analysts say it’s a certainty, he’ll garner plenty of interest.

At 27, Trumbo has averaged a 2.6 WAR over the last three seasons, and in 2013 he had career highs of 34 home runs and 100 RBI. However, his batting average dipped to a .234 and his on-base has rarely hovered above .300. Still, if you’re desperate for right-handed power, Trumbo’s your guy.

Michael Branda wrote something for us on Trumbo a couple of months back in which he assessed the current Mets situation at first base.

The Mets find themselves in a real tricky spot heading into 2014. Whether we like it or not, what we thought was a sure thing – is now far from it. The Mets have no answer at First Base anymore. It’s a rare moment when a franchise goes from thinking they have a cornerstone franchise type player to build around, to having nothing good to hope for.

Look, I really have no problem with Josh Satin – but he’s not an everyday big league first baseman. I’m not willing to wait until June 2014 to see if Ike Davis is the guy we all thought he could be. No matter what he does from this day forward, we’ll know absolutely nothing about Davis until next summer – and I don’t think the Mets can afford to do that. So, unless the idea of Wilmer Flores at first base is a reality, the Mets need a first baseman for next season and beyond.

In his article, he correctly tabs Trumbo as a one-dimensional player – something most Met fans have been accustomed to for a very long time.

Trumbo is now hitting arbitration for the first time, and he’s expected to get somewhere in the neighborhood of $4.5 million.

I recently asked another of our writers, XtreemIcon to share his thoughts, to which he replied:

We’ve all heard of five tool players, but Trumbo is a one tool player. He has huge, prodigious, Hammer of the Gods type power, but you cannot trade Thor for him or any starter that projects to crack the rotation in any regard, let alone a top-of-the-rotation type starter.

Trumbo is a very poor major league ballplayer. He’s at best a platoon DH, given his terrible fielding, limited speed on the bases and career OBP under .300. I say “at best” a platoon DH because he actually doesn’t have any significant platoon splits. He’s a bad hitter from both sides of the plate. He’d be worse than Jason Bay in many aspects. Bay, to his credit, was a disciplined enough hitter during his prime, and Bay only cost money.

So it would seem the consensus here at MMO would be that Trumbo is most certainly not the player the Mets should be targeting once their attempts to target Choo and Ellsbury prove futile.

As the Mets scramble to trim their 40-man roster to make room for players who finished the year on the disabled list or for prospects who could be lost to the Rule 5 draft, I keep contemplating the fate of Darin Gorski.

Gorski, a Met left-handed pitcher in Binghamton went unprotected early in the spring and passed unclaimed through waivers. Gorski returned to the Mets minor leagues assigned to their Triple-A squad in Las Vegas. After recovering from an early shoulder injury in mid summer, Gorski was sent to Double-A Binghamton to begin to throw in games.

The tall lefty was brilliant for the B-Mets their most consistent starter after the Eastern League All-Star break. The 6’4”, 25-year old southpaw made 14 appearances that included 13 starts going 6-1 for the regular season Eastern League champions. He logged a 1.87 ERA and an eye-popping 0.864 WHIP. Gorski allowed just 46 hits in 78.2 innings, striking out 67 batters while walking only 22. And, he seemed to solve a problem that had plagued him throughout his minor league career, keeping the ball in the park. Only one batter went long on Gorski this summer in Binghamton.

The Mets’ 7th round pick in the 2009 Draft, has had a roller-coaster ride through the Met minors so far. After a brilliant campaign for Port St. Lucie where Gorski was named the 2011 Florida State League Most Valuable Player of the year and the Mets Minor League Pitcher of the Year, he stalled somewhat in 2012.

The Western Pennsylvania native, was the workhorse of the Binghamton staff throwing 139.2 innings and going 9-8 for the B-Mets in 2012. But, Gorski’s ERA ballooned from 2.08 at St. Lucie to 4.00 in Binghamton, and the ball left the ballpark 20 times that summer when the B-Met starter was on the mound .

Gorski had barely gotten started in Las Vegas this spring and did show some uncharacteristic control issues before he injured his shoulder. But, Gorski was the picture of calm and poise on the mound this summer in Binghamton able to spot his fastball wherever he chose while effectively mixing a slider and change-up.

In an interview with Metsmerized Online, Gorski told us that a big part of his success was his fastball command and confidence. “The one thing I had worked hard on is my command. Second is just being confident in my ability to pitch and trusting my stuff each time out there.”

Wherever fate takes him, Gorski sports a trace of a baseball lucky charm. His teams in Brooklyn, Savannah, Port St. Lucie, and Binghamton have all qualified for post season play although none of those play-off teams have brought home a championship. Perhaps Darin’s saving that for the Mets.

I’ve watched Darin Gorski pitch over two seasons, and I love his approach on the mound. The big lefty is a ‘thinking pitcher,’ a guy who lacks the big power fastball but makes up for it with pitching assertiveness and smarts. Gorski has a great work ethic and is pretty hard to rattle on the hill when things get sticky. The best way to put it – Darin Gorski competes.

The Mets have tough decisions to make over the next week or so paring down their roster and deciding who goes and who stays. I’m hoping one of the guys who stays is Darin Gorski. What do you think?

Great pitching was the lifeline of the Binghamton Mets record setting baseball season this summer. Wherever you looked; the starting rotation, long relief or closing, the B-Met pitching excelled. There were multiple B-Mets who could be considered the 2013 Most Valuable Pitcher. I’ve boiled that choice down to four promising righthanded arms — Rafael Montero, Logan Verrett, Noah Syndergaard and Jeff Walters and one lefty, Darin Gorski.

Rafael Montero was brilliant throughout his brief stay in the Binghamton rotation during the early weeks of the season. Montero started 11 games as a B-Met — good for 66.2 innings on the hill. The early season pitching ace went 7-3 with a sparkling 2.43 ERA, striking our 72 batters and walking only 10. That helped Montero to an outrageous WHIP of just 0.92. Montero’s impact on the B-Mets was profound. His business like work on the mound seemed to set a tone in the early season that the 2013 B-Met season was about competitive excellence. Montero’s lead was a great model to follow.

Darin Gorski had a similar impact on the B-Mets, but during the closing portion of the season. Gorski returned from an early season injury in Triple-A Las Vegas and was assigned to Binghamton. Without much hype, Gorski was arguably the most effective B-Met pitcher down the homestretch. The tall lefthander started 13 games for Binghamton winning 6 and losing only one with the best ERA among starters, a sterling 1.83. Over 78.2 innings, Gorski allowed only 46 hits, striking out 67 and walking only 22. That was good for an eye-popping 0.86 WHIP, the best on the B-Met team other than Perpetual Pedro Feliciano.

Logan Verrett was the workhorse of the B-Met starting rotation, someone who took the ball every six days working 146 innings on the hill. Verrett’s 12-6 record tied him at the top of the Eastern League leader board in wins. Varrett’s blazing start was a key factor in the B-Mets early emergence as the premiere EL team during the regular season. The righthanded ace has pinpoint control striking out 132 batters and walking only 31. Keeping the ball in the park was an issue as Verrett allowed 21 HR’s. He had a 4.25 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP.

The arrival of Noah Syndergaard in Binghamton during the later part of the season had the city buzzing. The highly regarded Met prospect lived up to all the billing during his 11 starts. Syndergaard went 6-1 for the B-Mets throwing 54 innings, striking out 69 and walking only 12. A fastball that regularly reached mid and upper 90’s and held that speed throughout an outing tabs Syndergaard as one of the promising future Met power arms. Syndergaard finished with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.

Arguably one of the biggest success factors of the 2013 Binghamton Mets was the performance of the bullpen, however. Pedro Lopez had multiple left handed and right handed options in the pen. This season’s Most Valuable B-Met Pitcher comes from that relief corps, Jeff Walters, the record setting Binghamton closer. Walters was a lights out ninth inning option for Lopez earning 38 saves, the highest single season and career total in Binghamton Met history and the second highest save total in the history of the Eastern League. Walters pitched 56 innings of pressure packed relief allowing only 46 hits, striking out 60 and walking just 16. That gave the B-Met closer a 1.11 WHIP to complement his 2.09 ERA. Walters fired a fastball that consistently reached 95-96 mph and used a compliment of off-speed pitches.

Walters’ value on the 2013 B-Mets was about more than statistics, however. In Walters, Binghamton had that cocky, confident, care-free, end of the game option, a guy who relished having the ball in tight situations and exuded an attitude that had a residual effect on his teammates. It was those personal traits along with a toolkit filled with pitching choices that make Jeff Walters the Binghamton Mets Most Valuable Pitcher of 2013.

Daisuke Matsuzaka had his first quality start as a New York Met in Cleveland on Sunday. Met fans were likely happy to get a win and pleased for Matsuzaka even though the former Red Sox star was brought to New York simply to be a starting rotation place holder for the remainder of the 2013 season.

That fact makes you wonder. With the Double-A and Triple-A seasons now at an end, would it make sense to elevate a young pitcher from the minor leagues and glean a preview of how they adjust and pitch at the big league level?

Of course, the Mets are cognizant of innings limits and wouldn’t risk a preview if it drove a young prospects innings beyond their identified ceiling. That fact would eliminate starting pitching prospects like Rafael Montero, Noah Syndergaard and Logan Verrett. But, what about Darin Gorski?

Gorski finished an innings shortened season with another brilliant outing in Trenton, a 2-1 loss in the second game of the Eastern League playoffs, last Thursday night. After pitching only 13.2 innings in April at Triple-A Las Vegas, Gorski suffered a shoulder injury. The tall lefty was assigned to pitch in Binghamton when it was determined he was ready to pitch in a game conditions again.

One could argue that after arriving in Binghamton Gorski evolved into the ace of the B-Met staff. Gorski started 14 games as a B-Met throwing just 85.2 innings. With the 13.2 he threw in Triple-A before he was injured Gorski’s 2013 innings number totaled just over 99 innings, 40 innings fewer than he pitched in 2012 as a B-Met.

Gorski’s B-Met stat line begs the questions – rather than Matsuzaka, a guy with no longterm future pitching for the Mets, wouldn’t it make more sense to use September’s meaningless games in Flushing to catch a glimpse of Gorski pitching for the Mets?

At Binghamton this summer Gorski went 6-1, during the regular season, throwing 78.2 innings with a stellar 1.83 ERA. Gorski allowed a scant 46 hits, striking out 67 while walking only 22. That was good for an uncanny 0.864 WHIP.

Gorski’s resume speaks to potential. Last season, he was a workhorse on the B-Met staff logging a 9-8 record. That followed an 11-3 year in St. Lucie in 2011 that earned kudos as the Florida State Player of the Year.

In the past Gorski has struggled keeping the ball in the park allowing 12 round trippers in Savannah, 11 in St.Lucie and 20 last season in Binghamton. Although Gorski consistently entices batters to hit the ball in the air, the lanky left-hander seems to have solved that issue allowing only one ball to leave the park this summer in Binghamton.

With innings to spare, I’d much rather see Gorski gaining big league experience eating September innings than Diasuke Matsuzaka. Left-handed pitching is a valued major league asset on any pitching staff. It would make sense to use a few September outings to better evaluate where Gorski stands in the hierarchy of young Met pitching prospects. For me, win or lose, a major league trial-by-fire pitching preview of a young kid who just completed a remarkable minor league run on the mound makes more sense than handing the ball to a guy who has no real part in the Mets pitching plans beyond the end of the season.

Elevating Darin Gorski to the big squad would send a message to all the young Met minor league pitchers that the front office is paying
attention and very aware of the progress they make pitching in the minor leagues.

That’s the only way to describe another Darin Gorski pitching gem at NYSEG Stadium last night. Last week’s Eastern League Player of the Week dazzled, staying ahead of hitters and once again causing batter after batter to pop the ball into the air, as he threw seven scoreless innings, one batter above the minimum, and picked up his sixth win of the year. Gorski’s string of scoreless innings lowered his ERA to a sterling 1.83 in Binghamton’s 3-0 win over New Hampshire.

Location, location, location could have been his refrain, as he continually pounded the strike zone and hit his spots. The tall left-hander didn’t allow a single base-on-balls, fanned five, and surrendered only two hits, one that was erased on a 6-4-3 double play.

As is his habit, Gorski continually enticed Fisher Cat batters to pop the ball in the air. He forced15 of the 21 outs to come via pop-ups, fly balls, or strike outs. Only three New Hampshire batters hit the ball on the ground during the game, a broken bat soft tap to first base, a weak 4-3 putout and the 6-4-3 double play.

Gorski set the tone in the early innings going 0-2 in the count to the first five batters he faced. The B-Met lefty threw first pitch strikes to 15 of the 22 batters he faced and was ahead in the count after 3 pitches in 15 of 20 at bats. He threw 68% of his 88 pitches for strikes, with only 10 of his 88 pitches coming from the stretch. Gorski got some flashy leather work from right-fielder Travis Taijeron in the visitor’s fourth to preserve his shutout. New Hampshire third baseman Andy Burns led off with a flare single over second baseman Danny Muno’s head into right field. That brought former Met power hitter Adam Loewen to the plate. Loewen blasted a 2-1 fastball into the gap in right-center with Taijeron on the run.

The B-Met right fielder had a “Ron Swoboda Moment” launching his body into the air parallel to the ground and snaring the Loewen bomb in mid air with his backhand. It was one of the more outstanding B-Met defensive plays of the season.

Fisher Cat shortstop Kevin Nolan followed with ground ball to short with Tovar, Muno and Lucas ‘turning two.’ The double play started a streak of 12 consecutive outs for Gorski to close his night’s work.

New Hampshire starter Deck McGuire matched Gorski frame-for-frame for most of his outing. McGuire no-hit Binghamton through five innings and allowed the first of three B-Met runs in the sixth without yielding a hit. Here’s how it went down. Joe Bonfe opened the inning with a ground ball to third but Burn’s throw to first pulled Kevin Ahrens off the bag for an infield error. Alonzo Harris worked a base-on-balls and Daniel Muno laid a slick sacrifice bunt down the third base line to advance both runners.

McGuire worked carefully to Josh Rodriquez, throwing his first three pitches for balls. Fisher Cat skipper, Gary Allenson, sent in the order to intentionally walk the B-Met third baseman on the next pitch. But, McGuire’s intentional ball sailed past his catcher with Bonfe racing home for Binghamton’s first score.

Taijeron ripped a shot down the left-field line into the corner scoring Harris and Rodriquez. The Mets three sixth inning runs were the only scores in the game.

Wifredo Tovar’s single to left in the seventh was the B-Mets only other hit in the contest. Frank Francisco pitched a scoreless eighth to earn a hold. The former Met closer threw a fastball between 90 and 93 mph and mixed in some low 80’s breaking stuff. Francisco got Ryan Schimpf to fly out to center-field to open the inning. Jonathan Jones grounded a single up the middle but was erased on Binghamton’s second 6-4-3 twin killing of the night.

Jeff Walters shut the door, earning his 38th save in the ninth. That ties him with Justin Eramus, who pitches in the Frontier Independent League for the most saves in 2013 in any professional baseball minor league.

A large and noisy crowd of over 5,000 people welcomed the Eastern League’s Eastern Division winners back to Binghamton for the final series of the regular season.

We’ll begin with Binghamton Mets lefthander Darin Gorski, who has been named the Eastern League pitcher of the week for the week ending August 25th. Gorski tossed 14.2 innings in two starts and allowing three runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out ten. Overall, Gorski is 4-1 with a 1.89 ERA in 12 starts for Double-A Binghamton who clinched their first playoff berth in nine years. on Friday.

Several other Mets pitching prospects delivered strong performances last week including the following notables:

Robert Gsellman struck out a career-high 13 batters over 8.0 shutout innings as Brooklyn defeated the Vermont Lake Monsters 2-0 on Saturday night. Gsellman’s 13 Ks are tied for the third most in franchise history and are the most by a Brooklyn hurler since Brad Holt tied the franchise mark with 14 strikeouts on July 24, 2008.

The Kingsport Mets got a pair of dominating performances beginning with Chris Flexen who tossed a complete game nine-inning shutout. The 19-year old righty allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out 11 batters. Overall, Flexen is among the top pitchers in the league ranking fourth in ERA (2.14), fourth in strikeouts (56) and third with a 0.95 WHIP.

Last, but certainly not least is Robert Whalen, who fired seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits, walking none and striking out five batters. Whalen, 19, has a 1.49 ERA which ranks second in the league, and is quickly emerging as one of the top pitching prospects in the Mets system. In eleven starts he has held the opposition in the Appalachian League to a .176 batting average. The promising righthander has struck out 69 while walking 16 in 66.1 innings pitched.

There’s a lot to be excited about regarding the mounting pitching depth in the Mets system. While most of you already know about Gorski, Montero and Syndergaard, here are three more name you should have on your radar.

In a pitching weapon cache almost entirely comprised of right-handed weaponry, Darin Gorski is a rare firearm launched from the left side. In a minor league season that is “The Year of the Pitcher,” Gorski is putting together an impressive campaign.

Seven innings of one run ball last in Altoona, that lone run unearned, add to Gorski’s 2013 script. Every Met fan raves about Noah Syndergaard and his dominance at the Double-A level thus far in Binghamton. To help appreciate just how effective Gorski has been pitching at the same level, note the side-by-side comparison of each pitcher’s B-Met stats:

*Note that Gorski’s only loss came in a complete game, 3-hit, 2-0 B-Met loss.

The comparison is not made to suggest that Darin Gorski’s radar on the Met minor league pitching charts equals or betters Noah Syndergaard. It is only provided to validate the fact that he is putting together a banner run in Binghamton.

It is easy to overlook Gorski’s minor league pitching effectiveness and, for the most part, everyone has. A Pennsylvania kid, Gorski was drafted in 2009 in the seventh round out of Kutztown University. At Kutztown, the same college where Ryan Vogelsong starred, Gorski went 20-6 over 3 seasons. His impressive strike zone command first became noted in college, where the tall lefty never logged a WHIP higher than 1.11.

That strike zone command has held at each of Gorski’s minor league stops. The 6’4” 210-pound left-hander commanded little attention during his introduction to minor league ball. Only when he profited from the tutelage of pitching coach Phil Regan in Port St. Lucie was his potential recognized.

Regan went to work refining Gorski’s pitching mechanics and the results were striking. He started the season in the St. Lucie bullpen, and eventually cracked the starting rotation. He went 11-3, winning mid and post season Florida State League All-Star recognition and being named the FSL’s MVP. Gorski worked almost 140 innings walking 29 batters and fanning 140 with a 2.08 ERA and a sterling 0.995 WHIP. The southpaw was a New York Met Sterling Award winner for pitching excellence at Port St. Lucie.

Gorski’s impressive St. Lucie campaign was minimized by baseball analysts because of his age. At 24 years old, many attributed his success to an experienced pitcher working against inexperienced hitters.

He was a workhorse on the Binghamton staff in 2012 starting 24 games with 16 quality starts. Personally, Gorski, like Jonathon Niese a few seasons prior, became a ‘must watch start,’ as I tried to make every game he pitched at NYSEG Stadium.

Gorski’s pitching line wasn’t the magnetic force that drew me in. The attraction had more to do with his demeanor on the hill; his willingness to attack hitters in a professional manner, the way he worked the entire strike zone, his savvy on the mound including an unflappable emotional balance, and what I believed was a serious attempt to master his off-speed pitches.

“You have to trust your stuff,” Gorski explained in an interview at the end of his 2012 campaign. Like I had suspected, Gorski identified a major goal that year to master his slider. “To do that required throwing the pitch in games to make it competitive,” Gorski added.

At Binghamton in 2012, Gorski went 9-8 with a 4.00 ERA and a 1.274 WHIP. Not stellar, but a solid body of work for a developing minor league pitcher. Again and again, Gorski proved when he started a contest you could count on six or more innings of solid work.

The 2013 season saw him start in Las Vegas, but an early season injury derailed the beginning of Gorski’s Triple-A campaign. After rehabilitation, he was assigned to Binghamton where he has pitched brilliantly.

Gorski has a multiple pitch repertoire that includes both a four-seam fastball and a recently installed two-seamer. A major part of Gorski’s success formula is pounding the strike zone with his fastball to get ahead of hitters. His fastball consistently registers at 89-91 mph but can touch a tick or two higher when necessary. His slider and change-up both read in the low 80’s on the radar. Gorski’s change-up has late drop and is considered his most effective off-speed pitch.

At 26, nay-sayers still note Gorski’s age. The fact he was dropped from the 40-man roster in May and cleared waivers might also be considered a negative. I attribute those factors to the general inclination of overlooking Gorski’s potential pitching value that comes with a low draft selection and a slow professional start.

More pressing to me is a high home run percentage that has followed Gorski throughout his professional career. Last year, Double-A batters went yard 20 times on Gorski, good for a 12.9 percent rate. Interestingly enough, that rate almost disappears against left-handed batters. That fact, combined with Gorski’s consistent strike zone command, have some predicting he will someday become a relief pitcher in the major leagues working primarily against batters stationed on the left hand side of the plate.

This summer, Gorski seems to have alleviated his home run pitching tendency, allowing only one home run in his 44 innings for Binghamton. That may be the result of better placement of his fastball, a pitch often delivered higher in the strike zone last season than Gorski may have liked. Further mastery of his slider may also be a contributing factor.

He may not possess the combustible power wattage of other Met arms in their minor league pitching arsenal. Yet, Darin Gorski’s assets: an impressive walk/strikeout ratio, an all business work ethic that includes meticulous preparation, a gritty demeanor on the mound, and the fact he’s a rare left-handed arm in an almost entirely right-handed Met pitching armory, add pay value to Gorski’s pitching profile.

Like the oft overlooked lefty Scott Rice, Darin Gorski could be another high value left-handed pitching find. With so many promising minor league pitching prospects, let’s hope the Mets don’t overlook him.

Las Vegas 10, Sacramento 6

On the mound, Darin Gorski got the start and had a decent outing. He fared much better than he had in his previous start, but finished just a third of an inning shy of getting a quality start. The lefty allowed three earned runs and struck out four, en route to his first win of the season. Gorski did not allow a walk in the game, which was a nice improvement after he walked four batters in each of his first two starts of the season.

After starting out slow on offense the past few games, the 51s flipped the script and jumped on the River Rats early and often. Andrew Brown replaced Travis d’Arnaud in the cleanup spot, and had three hits, including a triple that drove in Juan Lagares in the first. Brian Bixler scored on a wild pitch in the second, and Eric Campbell and Bixler had RBI singles that plated three more runs the third inning. Wilmer Flores, who has been heating up lately, hit his first home run of the season, drove in three runs, and is now batting .304. Reese Havens doubled in his fifth run of the season, and Juan Lagares was once again a factor at the top of the order scoring two runs and driving in another.

As we reported on Thursday, Juan Centeno has been promoted and will take over the majority of the catching duties while d’Arnaud is out.

Prospect Pipeline

Brandon Nimmo‘s new nickname is the Human Torch — he is on absolute fire. He had another three hits, one of which was his first home run of the season, and added five RBI in last night’s game. He is now the organization leader in batting, with a .429 average. He is also the only hitter in the organization with a batting average over .400. Nimmo on his home run: “I was looking for a good pitch to hit, and I got a fastball inside and drove it well,” he said. “It felt really good. Even in my fourth at-bat, I hit the ball pretty well. I was staying on the ball, seeing it well tonight. You just enjoy these nights.”

Travis d’Arnaud hit his first home run of the year on Monday night. So far on the season, d’Arnaud is hitting an even .300, and has six extra base hits and eight RBI. Even more impressive is the fact that he has walked twelve times against seven strikeouts. His on base percentage is an outstanding .488. This kid is ready for big league pitchers.

I’ve been saying since last Summer that Rafael Montero could be a viable option for the Mets 2014 rotation. Some scoffed, but I stood my ground. Now I say he’s a lock and we’ll see him by September of this season at the latest. I’m higher on Montero than I am about Noah Syndergaard and I don’t really care what others think about that. Three starts into his Double-A season and Montero already looks like he needs more of a challenge at Triple-A, and no, it’s not too early to say that as I said he was polished enough to start at Vegas even before the season started. Also, what is the big deal about who signed Montero? It’s as if some will root less for him based on who signed him. I swear, I’m seeing more and more fans with this crackpot mentality everyday. Give it a break. (Joe D.)

As I wrote in an article yesterday, right-hander Zack Wheeler pitched 5.1 innings, issued no walks and struck out 8 on Sunday afternoon. Improvement? Without a doubt. But for crying out loud stop with all the cries of calling him up. He hasn’t thrown one quality start yet and is completely gassed by the fifth inning. All these scouts that follow him around like puppy dogs never say anything about that. I get it, he has four plus pitches, no need to repeat it every five days. His pitch counts are way too high and while he walked none in this last start, I lost count of how many times he went to three ball counts on batters. One-hundred pitches through five innings is not going to cut it in the major leagues. Stop trying to get the front office to rush him. He has the talent and bulldog mentality that Matt Harvey does, but not nearly the refinement and efficiency. (Joe D.)

Collin McHugh gets the ball tonight for Las Vegas. Many people have been calling for McHugh to be called up to Flushing, and rightly so. So far this season, McHugh is 2-0, has an ERA under 1.00, and twelve strikeouts to only one walk. (Hey Mitch, I second that motion. – JD)

J.J. Cooper, of Baseball America, answered some fans’ questions about prospects, and why some players got the snub on his Prospect Hot Sheet last week. Here is what he had to say about Nimmo and Travis d’Arnaud: “Nimmo was in consideration more than d’Arnaud… The catcher’s week was nice, but not really Hot Sheet worthy in a week where 150+ players posted 1.000 OPS or better. And many of them were playing in less hitter-happy environments.” And in regards to Kevin Plawecki: “Thought about it for a little while. Working against him was the fact that he’s a tick old for the Sally League, but the Mets like to take it slow with their draft picks. He still looks to be most likely a backup catcher at the big league level, but he is an intriguing guy to watch.” Here is what he said about the Mets pitcher who impressed him most so far this season, not named Rafael Montero: “Mateo. He was in serious consideration to at least make the team photo. Very nice first outing after a healthy jump up in level of competition.” What about Montero’s chances of pitching at Citi Field in 2013? “Let’s slow down a minute. I know the Marlins just rocketed Jose Fernandez to the big leagues, but that’s a rare case. Montero has two starts in Double-A and only 10 pro starts above low Class A right now. A full season in Double-A is probably best for his development.”

Lately, I seem to find myself watching twice as much Mets minor league baseball than regular Mets baseball. I don’t miss any of the Mets games, but in addition to them I’m catching at least two other minor league games a day as well. Sometimes simultaneously. I just find the minor league games to be so much more compelling and it reminds me of the old baseball broadcasts where you could actually hear the sounds of the game instead of three guys in a booth that yap non-stop and then those insane interviews that cut in while players are scoring runs in the background. SNY broadcasts have become way too noisy and distracting to me. Call to the Booth, Tweet the Booth, Text Polls, Cholula Hot Sauce Meters, etc. It’s a wonder they could fit the game in. (Joe D.)

Transactions

Retroactive to April 11, Cory Mazzoni was placed on the disabled list due to “Tennis Elbow.” Luis Mateo was called up from St. Lucie to fill in for Mazzoni while he is out. He started last night’s game, and was removed in the fourth inning with an apparent injury. Before leaving the game, Mateo gave up four runs on six hits. He also walked three batters.

In other transactions, Pedro Feliciano joined the St. Lucie roster, Adam Kolarek was moved up from Binghamton to Las Vegas, and Shawn Teufel was added to Binghamton’s roster from extended spring training. Teufel arrived in Binghamton, and then found himself pitching a couple of hours later, coming in to relieve Mateo when he was removed from the game. He pitched two innings, giving up two hits and striking out two.

Colorado Springs 11, Las Vegas 6

In a game where the two teams combined for thirty hits, the Las Vegas 51s dropped this one to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox 11-6.

It was trouble out of the gate for Vegas in this one, as designated starter Darin Gorski was only able to last two innings in this late-night affair. Gorski struggled from the start, and faced all nine hitters in the Colorado Springs lineup in the first inning, where he allowed three runs. He allowed back-to-back RBI doubles in the second inning, and although he got out of the jam, he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom half of the inning. Gonzalez German was brought on, and he pitched the next three frames while allowing two runs in the top of the fourth.

Robert Carson allowed an inherited runner from Dylan Owen to score in the seventh on a wild pitch, but had an overall line of an inning and two-thirds pitched without allowing a hit and striking out three. Justin Hampson struggled in his inning, allowing five hits and three earned runs in the eighth, but he managed to strike out two batters. Jeurys Familia rounded out the pitching for the 51s, and pitched a hitless ninth while setting two down on strikes.

It looked like this could possibly have been a higher scoring affair, but Las Vegas was only able to score in bunches – three in the third and three in the fifth. After an RBI ground-out by Travis D’Arnaud in the third inning, Andrew Brown drove home Wilmer Flores on an RBI double, and was promptly sent home on a Josh Satin RBI single. Satin was not finished, however, as he drilled his fourth home run of the campaign in the sixth – a two-run shot that scored D’Arnaud, who had reached base after ripping an RBI double.

Vegas had the bases loaded in the seventh inning with none out, but failed to score any runs as Zach Lutz and Jamie Hoffman flew out and Reese Havens followed that with a strikeout.

Las Vegas 4, Fresno 3

Darin Gorski had a decent outing and the late hitting for the 51s sealed the win, 4-3.

—

Darin Gorski had a solid outing, going five innings allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits, walking four and striking out three. Gorski did not exhibit solid command, but managed to miss the bats enough to walk away with a respectable start. Gorski will always be a contact pitcher, and the development of his breaking ball will determine his final resting place. Greg Peavey went two innings, allowing two hits and striking out one. Justin Hampson got the win, giving up one hit in his inning of work. Jeurys Familia came out for his inning to grab the save, giving up two hits but striking out one batter. Pitching has been a huge part of the 51s success and will continue to be.

On the offensive side, Vegas continued its early scoring mentality netting a run on a Wilmer Flores RBI groundout and an Andrew Brown RBI triple. Josh Satin would push an RBI single in the sixth inning to tie the game. A Jamie Hoffman RBI single in the top of the ninth inning would seal the win for the 51s. Despite many offensive explosion type games, the 51s have shown some clutch hitting as well as some great situational hitting.

Zack Wheelertoes the rubber for the 51s tomorrow evening at 10:05 ET as Las Vegas (4-1) continues their series with the Fresno Grizzlies.

Key Stats

Binghamton Mets 7, Erie SeaWolves 2

Erik Goeddel had a great outing and the offense made sure there was no doubt in the 7-2 victory

—

Erik Goeddel put together a strong outing, going six innings giving up two runs on eight hits, walking no one and striking out five. Goeddel relied on generating ground balls and leaning on his defense, which is always a positive plan when you have a great defense behind you. Jack Leathersich came out for two innings of work, and allowed one hit while striking out two batters. Leathersich may be the fastest mover in the Mets system based on his ability to be a crossover reliever and dominate lefties. Jeffrey Walters came out for the ninth inning and allowed two hits and walked one batter pitching the ninth. The premier pitching surplus is present in Binghamton and they are utilizing it well.

The B.Mets offense didn’t take the day off either, with five earned runs crossing the plate and a few runs scoring due to some shoddy defense from the SeaWolves. Cesar Puello hit an RBI double in the fifth and was thrown out in a run down play being aggressive. Alonzo Harris hit a solo home run in the sixth inning. Wilfredo Tovar had an RBI fielders choice in the seventh, scoring Cesar Puello. Darrell Ceciliani had a two-RBI double in the seventh, and Cory Vaughn struck out swinging but a wild pitch allowed Darrell Ceciliani to score from third. Rhyne Hughes netted an RBI on a force attempt in the ninth inning, scoring Alonzo Harris.

Rafael Montero looks to build on his strong opening day start against Erie tomorrow evening at 6:05 ET.

Two months ago I rolled out my first pass at pre-season projections for our Mets minor league rotations. We now have more mush clarity and some official assignments that have been announced. Many of the pitchers I reached out to at the lower levels have replied back to me with their assignments.

I’ve asked Teddy, one of our two MInor League Analysts, to look over my projections and share some of his commentary and analysis. He’s seen many of these pitchers up close and knows a good many of them personally. Now that he’s returned from Minor League camp, I thought it would be great to have him add his feedback to my post.

Here you go…

Las Vegas 51’s (Triple-A)

I’m pretty sure that Dylan Owen and Mark Cohoon will be on hand when duty calls although I’m disappointed that Cory Mazzoni and Darin Gorski got squeezed out of AAA. Jenrry Mejia, as you all know, is shut down for 1-2 months with more arm woes. I don’t get the Torres fascination, I really don’t.

Teddy’s Take: Well, of course Wheeler and McHugh are givens, considering their ability to have thrived at the lower levels, and I didn’t even realize Chris Schwinden was still with the Mets. I believe that Laffey might be the first pitcher up when an injury goes down, and Cohoon would be the one to take over. I don’t believe however, that Dylan Owen will be considered another starting pitcher after two poor years statistically, and a fastball that barely scrapes 90. I do believe that Gorski deserves a spot over Carlos Torres, who pitched himself out of spring training early enough. Gorski is a more advanced arm, and that has been evident. The question is: who takes over for Wheeler, Laffey, and McHugh after they leave? I also believe Armando Rodriguez’s time as a starter is over, he will be a reliever this year. But, if it were me, I’d have Torres in the pen, and Cohoon starting. Gorski deserves the spot.

Binghamton Mets (Double-A)

The Mets have a real numbers problem at starting pitching. Having Gorski and Mazzoni in Bingo means we had to hold back a couple of starting pitchers who were ready for the jump like Logan Verrett and Chase Huchingson. At this point I’m thinking they’ll go with a six-man rotation and somehow squeeze Goeddel into the mix. As for Gonzalez Germen and Greg Peavey, I’m stumped. Looks like bullpen duty and spots starts. Speaking of the bullpen, was glad to see Jack Leathersich get assigned to Bingo. I told him he would be, but he seemed skeptical.

Teddy’s Take: We have many interesting arms at Binghamton. Mazzoni is definitely going to headline opening day, no doubt about it, with the question going forward being, who will start Game 2? Will it be Gorski or Montero? All of these pitchers are definitely locks to stay in the rotation for Binghamton, including Goeddel, but he should definitely be relegated to reliever soon. He has a history of arm injury, and more success as a reliever rather than a starter. I believe that Peavey will have another chance in the B-Mets rotation, for now. With promotions though, who is going to get called up to Triple-A first? The first bet is Mazzoni, Gorski, then Rafael Montero, with Degrom right behind him. It’s a very interesting logjam the Mets will have next year, with plenty of options to choose from for the AAA squad rotation.

St. Lucie Mets (High-A)

It totally sucks that Michael Fulmer will miss a huge chunk of the season on the DL. Mateo is 23 so he’s a lock, and I can’t see Tapia and Pants not being here. Verrett really has nothing left to prove in Advanced-A, but the Mets held on to all their pitching this offseason and now we have a huge logjam. Bringing in guys like Carlos Torres in the offseason certainly didn’t help matters either and it’s having a trickle down effect. Poor Hansel Robles ends up in Savannah now even though I initially had him skipping a level. Angel Cuan to the bullpen? Weird…

Teddy’s Take: Poor Fulmer, he would definitely be a Number 2 had he not injured his knee, but he will be back in a very, very impressive starting rotation. The thing to remember is the factor of starter piggybacking. It will help the logjam of talented starting pitchers that is “troubling” the Mets. That way, one starter will go around 4-5 innings, and another destined for starting will follow, so we will see more starters on this roster, this time around, as well as relievers, and interesting ones as that. Angel Cuan will end up as a reliever, which will give us more options at relief. He was destined to be there, being undersized, and barely cracking 90. It’s about time. Robles deserves a roster spot, but there’s no hurry for him with the amount of players we have.

Savannah Sand Gnats (Single-A)

I would have had Steven Matz and Matthew Bowman here too as both youngsters are very deserving. But maybe both will benefit with another year in a short-season league. It looks like looks like Matthew Koch and Marcos Camarenamay get some spot starts out of the bullpen.

Teddy’s Take: I would disagree, but Joe’s right, with the logjam of pitchers in general. There’s just so many to choose from to start these staffs. I believe, yeah Joe, you’re right with the 1-5, but I saw Hilario at PSL pitching with the extendeds, so he’s staying there. It might be Camarena, or the Mets might make it really interesting and bring in Steven Matz, (which is my hope), but I’m sure it’s going to be Bowman. There is however, the outside chance that Robert Gsellman might be the 6th starter, and there’s also the possibility of more piggybacking such as the St. Lucie Crew.

Brooklyn Cyclones (Low-A SS)

This group was the most difficult to assess and has the most likelihood of being totally wrong, but if Matz is healthy I’m certain he’ll get the bump from Kingsport. Gsellman and Gant are no-brainers to make the squad, but I’m afraid Chris Flexen and Corey Oswalt will most likely start at Kingsport. They’re both still young and really should have been in the GCL anyway in 2012 if only we had a GCL team.

Teddy’s Take: If the headlining starter is Matz, it will help for many Long Islanders to visit MCU park. The only questions are actually Flexen and Oswalt, they should be in Brooklyn, and Logan Taylor is destined for St. Lucie or Savannah as a fast-rising reliever. As I said above, it could be either Gsellman or Bowman up at Savannah, but my money is definitely on Bowman, as a college starter, and one from Princeton, no less. The issue is seeing whether the logjam becomes much clearer at the upper levels. Making a promotion movement sooner rather than later will aid in developing some of these pitchers stuck either in Savannah or Kingsport. The other issue is the influx of the 2013 draft. Will they hopefully go for a ton of high-upside hitters and make it easier for us next year to speculate rotations? Or will they take some starters for Brooklyn, Kingsport, and Gulf Coast? Another factor to consider is the Dominican IFA’s: I don’t know which ones really, but it’s just important to note.

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A Message From Joe D.

I hope you enjoyed this. At Metsmerized Online our goal is to provide you with the best Mets Minor League coverage that is second to none. We give you real insights and true comprehensive coverage like no other. We’ve bolstered our Minor League team with five new veteran additions and now boast a 15 person minor league staff. Five of our writers come packed with their own credentials and have covered the minors from 4-18 years and really know and have worked the Mets system. Whether you prefer a pure scouting point of view or an analytic one based on the latest advanced metrics, we give it to you all. In the last three months alone we’ve averaged over a dozen minor league posts per week. Nobody else can say that, and that was in the offseason.

Last year we provided our readers with over three dozen player interviews and this season you can expect that number to increase significantly. Our definition of interviews is in-person/post game interviews or phone interviews, not asking players 3-4 questions on Twitter. Our goal is to blow you away with minor league content that is intuitive, timely and insightful. You won’t get any watered down analysis that isn’t really analysis at all. This year one of our new features will be Coaches Corner where we will pick the brain of a different minor league manager, or pitching and hitting coach. We’re leading off with Wally Backman.

MMO has always been ahead of the curve. We were the first site to post complete minor league recaps in 2005 and the others didn’t join the party until 2009 or later. Now we have a beat writer covering each affiliate and recaps that include quotes, injuries, insights and more. We’ve come a long way.

Stick with us, and we promise to keep you glued to our coverage. The future of the Mets looks bright and we intend to spread that message day by day and hour by hour. I’ll leave you with this… One player told me last December, that MMO is required reading in the clubhouse. Who am I to argue with that?

Adam Rubin has now reported that Darin Gorski has cleared waivers and will remain under team control. It also has been announced that Scott Rice, and not Robert Carson, will be the second lefty in the bullpen for 2013.

They have selected the contracts of LaTroy Hawkins, Scott Rice, Marlon Byrd and Scott Atchison, added them to the 40 Man Roster.

Robert Carson, Landon Powell and Omar Quintanilla were all optioned to Las Vegas.

2:00 PM Update:

Adam Rubin has just reported that Reese Havens has cleared waivers. He remains under control of the New York Mets and can be assigned to the minors. There is still no word on Darin Gorski. Update to follow.

The process would involve exposing them to waivers. If they clear, they can be outrighted to the minors.

I can see either of the two being picked up by other teams, and I’d put it at 50/50, especially for Gorski who could be ready to join an MLB bullpen right now.

Rubin writes about them:

Havens, a first-round pick in 2008, has struggled through back injuries throughout his career. He hit .215 in 325 at-bats last season with Double-A Binghamton.

Gorski, a 25-year-old left-hander, was 9-8 with a 4.00 ERA in 25 appearances (24 starts) with the B-Mets in 2012.

With both being cleared off the 40-man roster, the Mets now have five open spots for adding players on minor league deals.

We all knew there would be some tough decisions to be made, and certainly these are two of them.

Havens has been largely disappointing because of his inability to stay healthy, but oozes with talent, power and potential at a premium position. Gorski may not have been a starter in the majors, but could be an effective lefthander out of the bullpen.

Rubin also confirms that reliever Greg Burke and right-hander Jeurys Familia both have made the Opening Day roster, according to his sources.

Carson is on the 40-man roster and presumably has the advantage. The Mets will go with eight relievers in the pen until Shaun Marcum is be activated from the DL to make his start against the Marlins to close out the final game of the Mets opening homestand.

That was what I had once I removed Mejia, who has been shutdown for at least a month, and Hefner who won a job in the Mets rotation. The biggest difference between what I project and Rubin is that he has Carlos Torres in the rotation and Darin Gorski is nowhere to be seen.

When I posted my projection back on February 21, I did speculate that both Familia and Gorski may not even make the cut and could be relegated to the bullpen because of a numbers crunch:

I’m not that surprised that Schwinden makes Rubin’s cut even though I personally saw him as a numbers casualty as well, but the Torres thing surprises me.

The Mets signed the 30-year old free agent back in November and I remember thinking at the time how confusing an addition it was – even as minor league fodder.

Last season, Torres made 31 appearances for the Colorado Rockies and posted a 5.25 ERA and 1.415 WHIP in 53 innings pitched. All of his appearances were in relief. He’s having an awful spring for the Mets, posting a 8.54 ERA in 5.1 innings with nine hits allowed and five runs. I don’t see the value in pushing aside a younger pitcher with higher upside just to give Torres a job. It makes little sense to me.

I would also think that Mark Cohoon was more deserving of a spot on the Vegas rotation, especially after his solid season in Binghamton where he posted a 3.62 ERA and 1.207 WHIP in 23 starts, 18 of them quality starts.

And while I did speculate Gorski would go to the pen, my thinking at the time was because he’d be squeezed out because of the numbers crunch and not because a determination would be made that he was finished as a starter.

If we can give Gorski another season in the rotation, I’d be all for it. I would most rather see that than to push him aside because of someone like Torres.

Update: Right after I posted this Adam Rubin DMed me and said that yes, Familia is now officially a reliever.